Urban & Regional Planners

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Community Development Planner, Planner, Planning Consultant, Planning Technician

What they do:
Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
On the job, you would:
  • Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
  • Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
  • Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.

Knowledge

Safety and Government

  • law and government

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • geography
  • sociology and anthropology

Transportation

  • movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Math

  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Integrity
  • Cooperation
  • Dependability
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Self Control
  • Attention to Detail

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Computer aided design CAD software

  • Bentley MicroStation Hot Technology
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro Hot Technology

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology In Demand

Geographic information system

  • ESRI ArcGIS software Hot Technology
  • Geographic information system GIS software

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about urban and regional planners.